Google Buzz and the future of social networking
Have you heard of Google Buzz? Well if you haven't then you should jolly well wander over to the Google and check it out the Buzz near you!
Personally I don't do Facebook and although I tried it for a couple of months in the early days I decided pretty rapidly that it wasn't for me. I don't like a cluttered page and lots of stupid applications. I like things to be simple and to communicate quickly and efficiently. My streamlined approach to online life is why I choose Google as my default search engine, that and the fact that it's miles better than Bing or Yahoo anyway. Somebody needs to educate half of the US about that by the way, they're just not seeing the big picture!
As I said, I toyed with Facebook and even used Twitter for a while. Actually liked Twitter, but found it a bit limiting even though the real time buzz was rather good. I noticed they have implemented the location support to tweets - I wonder where they got that idea from (Google Buzz perhaps?). I even briefly went onto Orkut but rapidly dumped that when I couldn't find anyone I knew there. Then there was a brief run in with Bebo and I once tried to set up a MySpace account but the site was struggling at the time and I became very frustrated that I couldn't create an account. When I finally did get into MySpace I quickly closed my account. Too cluttered, didn't really like the look of it.
Simplicity and ease of use is what Buzz is all about. That and the fact that it's made very interesting when you use it on the mobile. With Google Buzz you can post some photos or a video clip and share what you're doing when you are out and about. Okay, you can do that on other social sites now, but Google Buzz does it elegantly. It just looks nicer. It's integration with Google Maps also makes it very entertaining and it can be a new way to meet people. By leaving comments on other peoples Buzz I've managed to strike up one or two new friendships and they have also made friends with my friends. I know you can get all this on Facebook, but as I said earlier Google Buzz does it nicer in my opinion and the seamless link with Google Mail means you're often only a click away.
I believe as many others have stated that social sites, or social networks as the industry likes to call them will become a big part of Internet usage, in fact it already is. But unlike Facebook's CEO, I personally think that no one social site can or should dominate the web. Facebook was kind of the new kid on the block a few years ago and it's done astoundingly well - no doubt about that, but I think the landscape will change as it does every few years and something better will come along, then something else after that and so on. I can remember when MySpace was the new kid on the block and I overheard a couple of teenagers outside the local shop chatting about it. I'd heard of it, but hadn't really looked into it at that point. Well I'm willing to bet those young adults are now on Facebook, but what will they be using five years from now?
A very good question that. What's the future of social networking? I reckon there will be a multitude of social platforms and users will pick the one that suits them best. For me that's Google Buzz, but I'd equally like to interact with [underline]some friends on Facebook and some on Twitter. Facebook's walled garden approach (and perhaps the privacy issues) may well contribute to it's future loss in popularity. I say FUTURE, because I'm pretty sure that bubble is going to burst within the next year or so. That won't be a bad thing.
Disclaimer: This is an unofficial guide to some Google products provided by mothsworld.com. This guide is not published by or affiliated with Google, Inc. We're regular users, just like you are. (But Google Buzz is a trademark of Google, Inc.)